Attendance and Assessments

Introducing the marking schemes

The undergraduate marking schemes have three pages, one for each level. Make sure you're looking at the right page! It will probably be useful to print this out. For Level 5 you will see that there are additional criteria in red, and for Level 6 there are extra criteria in blue.

The MA level marking schemes have a single level, so these are much simpler.

Make sure that you understand how the table is laid out:

There are five general criteria down the first column, and the different grades are across the top. The boxes describe what is required for a certain grade level in each criterion. 

It is important to note that your final grade is not calculated from the sum or average of the individual criteria grades, but is more of a holistic judgement of the overall quality of the work. However, your markers will use these criteria to assess your overall grade and to give you feedback about how to improve.

Unpacking the criteria

1. Knowledge

This criterion is about whether your assessment submission includes relevant, accurate and broad information about your topic. You need to demonstrate that you have sufficient knowledge of the subject and its key concepts, and are able to express this accurately. Have you read a broad enough range of books or articles to have a good knowledge of the topic and its various perspectives? And is the content of your submission relevant to the set question?

Unpacking the words: descriptive accuracy: describe without errors; facticity: correct information; breadth of sources: books/articles giving different perspectives.

2. Understanding

For this criterion you need to demonstrate that you really understand your topic and the key themes and issues. Are you able to explain these in your own words, and give examples to demonstrate? Can you give evidence of the various issues?  

Unpacking the words: comprehension: understanding; assimilation: thorough understanding; summarisation: able to summarise; evidencing: provide evidence; exemplification: provide examples.

3. Analysis

In an essay we are looking for you to make an argument (i.e. to put your point across in a persuasive way) and the same goes for other types of assignment. You need to demonstrate that you are able to write persuasively and logically, and to evaluate different ideas. You must be able to test the opinions of others against the evidence, and make a judgement about how convincing another person's point is. And you will be able to weigh up different ideas and pieces of evidence in order to come to your own judgement.

Unpacking the words: argumentation: systematic reasoning in support of an idea; evaluation: weigh up truth or significance of ideas/evidence; exposition: full explanation of your ideas; exegesis: unpacking a biblical text; discernment: ability to judge well.

4. Communication

All the previous skills rely on good communication - it is a key skill. You will be judged on how well you are able to structure and communicate your ideas in English. Does your work have a clear structure? Is your use of language accurate, without too many mistakes? Note that good communication doesn't mean using a lot of long words, but the ability to write clearly without mistakes. Errors, poor punctuation and messy presentation will get in the way of someone understanding and appreciating your knowledge and skills. In some cases very poor language can make it hard to read or understand your work at all.

Unpacking the words: presentation: looking smart and organised; formatting: professional word processing format or equivalent; fluency: expressing yourself smoothly in English. 

5. Practice

This criterion won't be relevant to all assignments and it varies between programmes. For example, in Theology assignments it covers the ability to relate what you're learning and discussing to particular practical contexts, or to your own life and experience. In Counselling assignments it's about whether you can demonstrate the required counselling skills, show self-awareness, and are able to articulate and explain your own experiences and process. In Music and Worship modules, this is about your musical skills, as well as other practical skills such as leadership and team work.

Unpacking the words: contextualisation: considering a topic in relation to its situation; contemporaneity: whether something is relevant to the present time; application: putting something into action.